Cell phone : Is it a necessity at school ?

Nowadays , it is hard to imagine our modern life without some things, and a cell phone is undoubtedly one of them. It is perceived as something so natural and is so taken for granted that it sometimes seems strange how difficult it was only a decade ago to get in touch with somebody you wanted to have an . Cell phones make this process fast and easy, and only the person’s wish to answer the call defines whether the talk will be or not be. But do you think that cell phone should be allowed or banned in school? Here is some opinion from a school principal , a English teacher and two of the parents from school community.

School principal’s opinion :

Should cell phones be allowed in school? This has been a hotly debated topic over the years. In some ways having your cell phone in class could be helpful, but the main problem is whether students can be trusted or not. I would have to disagree them to bring cell phone in classroom because it may start a lot of problems, like students text messaging each other, or calling people in the middle of a lesson just to goof around. They would probably try to hide it by telling the teacher that they were doing the right things which there were really not. A lot of people would use it for the right thing but if some people don`t use it right then it might ruin it for everyone. It would just not really work. I don`t see how your phone could help you with school work maybe to google something but other than that not much.

Most school administrators regard cell phones use as disruptive and distracting devices in class, as well as a form of cheating during examination, therefore many schools have implemented the policy that prohibit cell phones on school properties. Cell phones and texting are known classroom disrupters. Though most students remember to put the phone on vibrate or silent while at school, some will constantly check to see if there is a new message, thus distracting themselves, and those nearby, during classroom instruction and activities. Texting and cell phone cameras are also convenient cheating methods being used by students. The most serious problem involving students and cell phones are texting and using the device to cheat on assessments. Linking students’ devices with school may cause some to fear cheating and inappropriate use of devices while in school.Many of those originate in classrooms where students have found ways to communicate on their phones even if the teacher is vigilant. Female students keep them in purses on their desks and others hide them in texts and notebooks. This also adds to the temptation to cheat. At the University of Nevada at Las Vegas where students photographed test questions and sent them to friends not in the class who then sent back the correct answers. Cell phones should never be present in the classroom during an assessment.

In addition, a mobile phone which used by teenagers nowadays are usually worth over $100 and not every family can afford to buy one for their children. Any expensive items brought into school increase the risk of theft. These two factors often lead to cell phone theft, what if the phone gets damaged, lost or stolen? Would the school district have to pay for the phone? It's exactly not the school's responsibility to pay for it. Therefore, a vexing problem has occurred again. The lower price or desirable items a child brings to school, the safer he or she is from potential thieves and the associated risks of hysical assault. Schools cannot always provide extra measures to help students protect personal property, because that means more expense.

Last but not least, cell phones may not improve school safety for sure phones have been tied into other school disruptions, too. One activity is calling in a bomb threat, which disrupts classes, cannot be traced if the caller uses a cell phone, and can be dangerous in the presence of an actual bomb since the frequencies used for both devices are similar and may cause the bomb to detonate. In fact, text messaging is used as a form of harassment or bullying by some of the students too.
Another is the spreading of rumors of violence, which have been tied to creating more anxiety than actual events.
Opponents of cell phones in schools believe cell phones do not improve school safety. For example, in the event of an emergency, cell phone signals can become jammed if everyone attempts to contact people at once, which can make it difficult for teachers to contact the authorities. If students do successfully contact their parents, parents may all rush to the scene, which can conflict with evacuations or other responses. Cell phones can also facilitate the spreading of rumors during emergency situations. Yet, cell phones are sometimes used to call in bomb threats or other threats, which students may do in order to evade a test. These calls often are untraceable. It also be used to detonate real bombs.

As my persuasive conclusion, I have to say that parents should trust the school’s representatives with their children’s safety and that families should try to spend more time together instead of having to talk over electromagnetic waves . Yes, you can still live on without a cell phone. With all this said I don’t see any reason to allow this. For all the good things that can be done with this privilege just as many bad things can too. Not to mention the stress this will put on the local Wifi for people who actually need the computer. Letting kid use their own device inside the class gives them much more freedom than on a school computer. Using a calculator on your phone is somewhat pointless considering that you can use a hand held calculator just as easily or bring a calculator. I think the students like the idea of using technology in our schools more than they actually need them.

 

Parent’s opinion :

With cell phones becoming a symbol of status, many children as well as teenagers consider having a cell phone as a necessity. Although there are people who say that giving phones to children has several benefits, there are others who still have doubts whether it is really necessary. The answer to this question can be a difficult one, especially for parents whose children want to have mobile phones. However, before parents succumb to their wishes, it is important for them to know about the pros and cons of giving mobile phones to children.

Handing a personal cell phone to children can be a dilemma for most parents. The reason for this is that there are people who support the claim that it is important to give phones to children as well as those who say that children do not require mobiles at a young age. As a parent, providing a cell phone to a child can be a tough decision and hence, it is important for parents to weigh the pros as well as cons before taking a decision. Let us take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of giving mobile phones to children.

One of the most important advantages is that it becomes easier for parents to track where their children are exactly. It is said that mobile phones gives a sense of security to the parents and children. For instance, if a child comes home alone from school, it becomes easier for the parent to know where he has reached. Also, if the parent is running late to pick the child from school, then, he or she can contact the child and tell him about it. Apart from this, people also believe that giving a cell phone to children is a good way of teaching them to take up responsibility. It is said that children tend to be careful not to lose their mobiles as well as stick to usage limitations set by the parents.

However, there also disadvantages of mobiles. One of the cons is more associated risks to the children. It has been observed that children tend to waste lots of time calling or texting their friends, sometimes ignoring their studies. Moreover, giving mobile phones to children also makes them vulnerable to check Internet sites which you have banned at home. Other than these problems, giving mobiles to children can expose them to health problems too. Studies conducted by scientists have shown that too much exposure of the cell phone can give rise to physical problems. Although parents give phones to children to know their whereabouts, many schools had banned mobile phones because it disturbs the decorum of the school. Furthermore, it has been found that having such phones may encourage children to indulge in some kind of misbehavior like cheating or copying during tests, making harassing calls to classmates or sending embarrassing pictures.

These pros and cons might be of help to parents in taking the right decision. The first thing that parents should consider is whether the child really needs a mobile phone. For instance, if he wants a phone just because his friends have it, this should not be the reason you should get him one. However, if your child travels alone from school, giving him a phone can be useful. Another way of avoiding any risky behavior would be to give him a cell phone which only has basic necessities. Even if you give a phone that has various applications and accessories, do not hesitate to limit the number of calls and text messages that he can send. 

In a nutshell, the decision of giving a cell phone to your child is entirely yours. However, you should make sure that he gets a personal mobile phone only for the right reasons and not because he can show it off to his friends. Keeping a close check on how your child is using his cell phone can help in preventing him from misusing the benefits of having a cell phone.

English teacher’s opinion :
The issue of cell phones in school represents a contentious issue debated across the nation. As cell phones become more and more common, schools must determine how to deal with cell phone use in school .Many people believe cell phones make schools less safe and less effective. Opponents of allowing cell phones in school argue that cell phones create a distraction, facilitate cheating and do not necessarily improve student safety.

Student can be very competitive, fighting for popularity among their peer group. This can manifest itself into stealing if a particular individual brings an especially expensive cell phone to school. The last thing you want to do is to tempt the would-be thieves by sending student to school with a piece of equipment that make him or her a target. Lockers are more likely to be broken into, for example, if they know there is something of value in there. When a student is in school, his or her purpose there is to learn. Young people can be easily distracted from their studies - and having easy access to a mobile phone during class can make it easier for them to lose focus. If they become bored with the class material, it doesn't take much for them to take their cell phone to play some games or to check their newsfeed on Facebook or Twitter. How can you expect a student or teen to absorb the knowledge they need to learn if they're not even paying attention?

Obviously, student won't be able to take out their cell phones and talk to one another in the classroom during an exam, but the concept of "passing notes" has stepped into the age of technology, thanks to text messaging. Texts can be sent quite discreetly while in the classroom. Taking it one step further, a student can excuse himself to go to the washroom, only to use that time to send text messages and leave voice mails. It's also important to bear in mind that cell phones are advancing and improving faster than ever. Smart phones can surf the Web, providing high-tech ways for students to look for test answers online. Some models have advanced calculators, and depending on the software, may even be able to run custom applications that can contribute to academic dishonesty. The possibilities for cheating and copying are literally limitless when students have access to cell phones in class. Cell phones can facilitate cheating on tests, quizzes, in-class essays and other assignments. For example, students in a class may silently text each other the answers. Students whose phones have Internet access may look up answers on the Internet. Students may also use the calculator function on their cell phone to compute math problems or may store information as a "cheat sheet" in their phone.

In addition, Opponents of cell phones in schools believe cell phones do not improve school safety. For example, in the event of an emergency, cell phone signals can become jammed if everyone attempts to contact people at once, which can make it difficult for teachers to contact the authorities. If students do successfully contact their parents, parents may all rush to the scene, which can conflict with evacuations or other responses. Cell phones can also facilitate the spreading of rumors during emergency situation, cell phones are sometimes used to call in bomb threats or other threats, which students may do in order to evade a test. These calls often are untraceable. Cell phones can also be used to detonate real bombs.

In conclusion, a concluding argument for allowing the use of cellular devices in the classroom is that schools and administrators are fighting a losing battle. While I am sure there are some private organizations that require cell phones to be used outside or be off (the movie theater comes to mind), the fact of the matter is he has a valid point. All the reasons for opposing to cell phones in schools can be resolved. Some easily and some with a little more lateral thinking.. This technology is here to stay, so either school update and adapt or they will fall behind and be replaced. With that in mind; class, please take out your cell phones.

Parent’s opinion :

In our society, it is hard to imagine what life was like before cell phones. One of the ways that cell phones have revolutionized the way we life, is cell phones in school. Many student and parents believe that it is necessary for kids to have their cell phones accessible in schools. Schools often disagree. They usually include rules about cell phone possession and usage in their code of conduct. However, when phones are banned, students often bring them in anyway, trying to hide them, and leaving schools with little recourse except to confiscate those phones which are discovered. Why is this such a divisive issue?

Some people think that phones have no place in schools, but banning cell phones in school would be like going back in time to a less convenient and safe time. It seems a little ridiculous for children in elementary school to have cell phones, but at the end of the day, this is a safety tool for kids and provides peace of mind to parents everywhere.

In a world, where unfortunately, we constantly hear about school violence, the cell phone provides an instant connection, not only to parents, but to authorities. If a student were to pull a gun at a school that banned cell phones, help would likely take longer to reach the school. Additionally, a lot of parents panic when something like that happens and cell phones provide instant connections to their children. This helps things run more smoothly in case of emergencies. If parents don't have direct and immediate communication with their children in the case of an emergency, they are more likely to drive to the school which could cause confusion, possibly put them in danger and could even impede ambulances and police cars to reach the school.

In fact, a lot of schools are using the rise in cell phone use to their advantage. In the face of all our recent school shootings, many schools have developed an emergency text messaging system. The idea is to get the word out to all the students quickly and effectively in the event of an emergency like that. They could get the school mobilized and away from the buildings or classrooms that are in immediate danger.

A lot of people dwell on the small problems that come with children having cell phones in school, like using texting to cheat or children playing games on their phone instead of paying attention to the class. But children don't need technology to cheat and to be distracted. If a child is going to cheat, they'll find a way to do it even without cell phones; the way people cheated back in the day when cell phones weren't around. Similarly, not having cell phones to distract them from class does not mean they will pay attention. They'll just find another way to be distracted. And as a teacher, if you're adamant about cell phone use, you can impose no cell phone rules for your classroom. You can usually tell when a student is doing something they're not supposed to be doing and if that bothers you, you can discipline them.

In addition, cell phones provide the ultimate convenience. As a parent , you can arrange where to pick up your children or give them an easy way to communicate to you that they're going home with a friend or to the mall after school. It's a way for parents to easily keep track of their children. All the reasons not to allow cell phone use in school seem petty and are dwarfed by all the reasons why it's beneficial.

Written by ")
Sheathing
Wantheng
Yeelyn
Angelia